South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first in the opening Test of a two-match series against Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion.
Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam returns to the lineup, needing just three runs to reach 4,000 in Test cricket. He has scored 3,997 runs in 55 matches at an average of 54.46, including nine centuries. Out-of-form opener Abdullah Shafique was dropped to make way for Babar, with captain Shan Masood opening alongside Saim Ayub.
Experienced fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who last played in August 2021, also returns after a strong domestic season with 31 wickets in five Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches. Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, back from injury, has also been included.
Interim head coach Aqib Javed takes charge of his first Test series after leading the team in white-ball matches against Zimbabwe last month.
Head-to-head, South Africa and Pakistan have faced off in 12 Test series since 1995. South Africa has won seven, Pakistan two, with three ending in draws. In their most recent series in 2021, Pakistan secured a 2-0 victory at home.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (C), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas.
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (C), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch.
